


Until Morning

by ryver_cooper



Category: Original Work
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Adoption, Daydreaming, Gender Identity, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Happy Ending, Multi, Original Character(s), Past Abuse, Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:28:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21746032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ryver_cooper/pseuds/ryver_cooper
Summary: Ryver started life with the curse of tragedy plaguing them.Now that everything was settled and organized, they liked their life the way it was- just their father and them taking care of one another in a nice house void of neglect or violence.Everything was finally improving, and they could breathe and live and think a little better than they used to. They were finally becoming happier.Their father must have taken that as a sign to adopt another broken kid.__





	1. Before Morning

_"Any reason you have a bunch of knives on your dresser?"_

_"Some collect marbles and snowglobes. I collect protection. And what might you collect- bruises?"_  
___

**Chapter 1**

The kid looked like he hadn't seen sunlight in years, and maybe he hadn't; they didn't know- or care, for that matter.  
His first name was Narvi. His last name was now theirs. Black hair reached his shoulders in soft waves, much like Ryver's own father's. He had round, innocently traumatized eyes, and Ryver almost laughed at how wide they were at the moment.

His fear- while not misplaced- was almost surprising, considering all that he had apparently been through.

Narvi clutched at his suitcase as he turned his head to eye Ryver almost suspiciously. They chuckled, lifted a hand, and wiggled their fingers at the boy. He gripped the case tighter and sharply turned his head away.  
Ryver averted their eyes just after he did; looking at him made their stomach burn and their chest tighten. They clenched their fist and swallowed down something that felt suspiciously like tears.  
Ryver's father was too busy filling out the paperwork to notice.

-  
The ride home was quiet within the car. Ryver's father was not so fond of blaring the radio, and having it at a low volume made Ryver itch. So they pushed on silently, Ryver leaning against the window; they could feel the rumble of the road beneath them, and they silently wondered how many times they and their father had traversed this road, how many times would they?  
Ryver stared at the concrete rolling by, and they could tell by the patterns of the cracks in the road that they were getting close to their driveway.  
When the car stopped, they imagined closing their eyes and pretending to be asleep and feeling their father gently lift them from the other side of the car, carrying them in and covering them up with a blanket once he got them to bed.  
"Ryver. We're home."  
_I know._  
They unbuckled their seatbelt, slid out of the car, and shut the door. _Right._ _I'm_ _older now. To big to be carried and too old to be coddled._  
Ryver almost flinched when they heard the third car door shut. They refused to look at him, so they rushed past their father and stood at the door while they waited for him to come up with the keys. When he did, the kid was trailing behind him, still clutching the damn suitcase like it was a lifeline. Ryver couldn't see how it could be considering how the latches were bent and rusted and how the leather was stained and torn like the thing had been used as the surface for a spill test in one of those Lysol commercials.  
Ryver heard the lock click and his father opened the door for them, as usual; only now, another person was following them in  
_and it wasn't right._


	2. Familiar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryver knows. 
> 
> Narvi doesn't.
> 
> Ryver's glad.

_"So, you're- what?- nonbinary?"_

_"Nope. Genderfluid."_

_"Genderfl-"_

_"Genderfluid."_

_"What's the difference?"_

_"There's a difference."_  
__

_**Chapter 2** _

They took a strange sort of pride in the fact that they knew their surroundings and Narvi didn't. They headed strait for the kitchen, popped open the refrigerator, and pulled out a little tub of cake icing. They revelled in knowing that the kid did not know that was there.  
Ryver turned their back to the fridge and leaned back against it, actively avoiding eye contact with the tween standing in their living room.  
_"He's just about 14, love. We'll be the first family that he'll get_ _to_ _spend his birthday with."_  
Ryver spared a glance at the boy's hands; they were both holding the handle of the ratty suitcase, his knuckles were white and trembling faintly. _Pathetic._  
In the back of their mind, they knew that they would have been sympathetic- given different circumstances.

Ryver looked back down to the tub of icing they'd uncovered, then closed their eyes.  
_Dad's rummaging around his office._  
Their father had the lightest footsteps of anyone they'd ever met, but they'd lived in the same house as him for years, so his shifting and shuffling in his upstairs office were sounds they could pick up easily.  
They shoved a large spoonful of cold white icing into their mouth, snapped the lid back onto the container, and replaced it in the refrigerator. They sucked the leftover icing off the spoon as they headed toward the stairs leading to their room, and they could feel the boy's eyes on them as they passed him.

Ryver shut themself in their room for the rest of the day, only leaving to grab some food and to get ready for bed. They weren't sure if the boy had been shown his room yet, but they assumed so. They forgone saying goodnight to their father or his new son.  
They turned their light off when the time came for bed and laid down. They smirked.  
**_I_** _am sleeping in a_ ** _familiar_** _room._  



	3. Awkward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner can be awkard, 
> 
> Even with your father trying so hard.

_"Do you have any friends?"_

_"Sure."_

_"Who are they? I never see_ _you_ _with anyone."_

_"You never will."_  
___

_**Chapter 3** _

No one with more brain cells than a peanut could deny that breakfast the next morning was awkward.  
But, _hell_ , their dad could try.

In a sense, he forced Ryver to sit at the table to eat with their father and new "brother," and now that he had his family all together, he was trying desperately to get them to converse.   
Ryver watched him set his fork down after a bite before he said, "Narvi, Ryver here will be showing you around your school tomorrow after you're enrolled. This is their third year, so if you ever get lost, find them; they will help you."  
His voice was stern in the last sentence, that no-nonsense tone that Ryver was used to and felt he would use more often now that this kid was living with them.   
"Yeah," they mumbled; they nearly added 'whatever' to their affirmation, but they didn't want to face the consequences if they did.   
Narvi nodded and said nothing.

Their father only let dinner stay silent for a few more moments.   
"Tell us about yourself, Narvi." Ryver thought it was less an order and more a suggestion, but they saw Narvi look up suddenly with a subtle fear in his eyes.   
Ryver rolled theirs.  
"Wh-what do you mean?"   
Ryver cringed and tried to hide it by shoving a spoonful of mashed potatoes into their mouth. Their father didn't miss a beat, "We would like to know simple things. Your favorite colors, sports; what do you like to do?" He took a bite of steamed carrots, then motioned at Ryver,   
"Ryver will go next." They stiffened. _Of course._   
They felt Narvi tense up, and they spared another glance at him. He was clutching his fork surprisingly tight, and Ryver nearly chuckled at the idea of him bending it out of pure fear. He coughed, and as he opened his mouth to talk, Ryver wondered if he was going to have a panic attack at the breakfast table.   
It still took him a few damn minutes, and even then all he said was,   
"I like stars."

Ryver's fingers suddenly gripped their fork. _Dammit._  
That phrase- that stupid cottdamn sentence triggered their fight or flight response, and _oh norns_ he sounded so _young_.   
Ryver had know that he was only fourteen, but actually witnessing the gravity of that fact- well, they suddenly felt pity for the kid.  
 _Dammit, dammit, dammit._  
"That's interesting. Astronomy and astrology happen to be a couple of my favorite subjects. I have a few books in my office if you'd like to take a look."  
Narvi nodded, and Ryver knew that their father would be expecting those books back in his office by the next morning.   
"What do you like about them?"  
Narvi shifted, shrugged. Their father let the meal continue silently as he waited for Narvi to answer. He never did.

Ryver supposed their dad was done getting the kid to open up for one day. He let Narvi go back to his new room;   
Ryver followed suit.


End file.
